Feelers from the broad-based opposition coalition being forged by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, alongside the 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Mr Peter Obi, reveal that the immediate past Transportation Minister, Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi, may emerge as the ultimate presidential standard-bearer of the group.
It was reliably gathered that Amaechi came into the picture following Peter Obi’s insistence on contesting the presidential poll alongside his former running mate, Senator Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed.
Amaechi, who turned 60 on May 27, had, during an anniversary lecture organised in his honour, disclosed that he pointedly told President Bola Ahmed Tinubu shortly after the incumbent emerged as the presidential candidate that he would not support his re-election.
In his remarks at the occasion, the former Rivers State governor told the audience that, based on his reservations about President Tinubu’s capacity to unify the country, he informed him of his decision not to be involved in his electioneering, stressing that the last two years have vindicated him.
However, a member of the steering committee of the coalition confided in The Guardian that the gathering, which attracted politicians, business leaders, clergy, and close associates, was programmed for invited guests only because of the political undercurrents.
He disclosed that friends and associates of the former minister decided to put together the lecture, themed “Weaponising hunger”, to test the waters for Amaechi’s impending presidential run in 2027 .
He said: “With the way the coalition is going, some of us have noticed the unyielding positions of Vice President Atiku Abubakar and Mr Peter Obi. Although we are still trying to extract commitments from the former Vice President to shelve another presidential contest in 2027, Obi seems adamant on contesting with Datti Baba-Ahmed as his deputy.
“On the other hand, we have discovered that time is of the essence. It is possible that the two former presidential candidates may not reconsider their stance. So, some of us have resolved to put Amaechi on the ready. After all, he came second in the APC presidential primary.”
The source explained that the Muhammadu Buhari camp within the APC has expressed their preference for Chibuike Amaechi over Atiku or Obi, adding that although Atiku and Obi have agreed to a one-term presidency, Amaechi has been circumscribed by zoning to one term.
However, one of the conveners of the League of Northern Democrats (LND), Dr Umar Ardo, told The Guardian that the idea of registering a new party was being canvassed as a safe alternative to fusing into an already existing political party.
He denied that the new platform was being proposed to favour the presidential interest of Atiku Abubakar, contending that “fusing into SDP or African Democratic Congress (ADC) is fraught with some obvious risks.”
Ardo, who contested the Adamawa State gubernatorial election in 2023 on the platform of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), noted that the fear of falling prey to the machinations of desperate incumbents prompted the consideration for a new political platform.
He said: “It’s not just SDP or ADC or any existing political party. If we just go and collapse, we have lost the momentum. We have diffused the impetus that we would have created if we had applied directly on our own. And there are many other constraints.
“There are existing structures there. You have to agree with them, virtually all of them. And if the incumbent is serious or is bent on trying to use any loophole to destabilise it, they have whatever they want people to use.
“They have a victim, or somebody will come and say, ‘I’m elected for this number of years; we have to wait until my time ends.’ And if you say no, the system now sends him to go to court, and the system backs him in court. And if the system backs him and they influence the decision of the court, that is the end of all this.”
On the issue of Atiku and Obi not shifting ground on their candidacy, the former governorship contender said that even though he was among those canvassing for a brand-new political party, he would not ask the former vice president to bury his presidential ambition.
“Actually, I think that Atiku Abubakar…and I know for a fact, not even I think…Atiku is among those who are trying to get the coalition to fuse into an existing political party. So, if I am taking a position against this view, my view is that we should register, how then does that mean that I am working for his candidacy? Does that make sense?” he queried.
Also, another stakeholder in the coalition, Katch Ononuju, stressed that Peter Obi’s right to contest in 2027 should be regarded as non-negotiable if the coalition is resolved to carry through, adding that Obi has made it clear that he would contest again in 2027.
If the coalition succeeds in registering the All Democratic Alliance (ADA) as being canvassed, it remains to be seen whether Atiku and Obi will end up on SDP and ADC, respectively, while Chibuike Amaechi flies the flag of ADA.
Dickson cautions against repeating 2015 coalition mistakes
A former Governor of Bayelsa State, Seriake Dickson, has issued a subtle warning to leaders of the new political coalition. This came up as top politicians from across the country gathered in Abuja on Saturday to celebrate the 60th birthday of Amaechi.
Speaking earlier at the event, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar described himself, Amaechi, and Nasir el-Rufai as conspirators, stating that they, along with the opposition coalition, are united in their stance against President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
In response, Dickson cautioned his political colleagues to consider the consequences of their actions, pointing out that their past conspiracy and coalition, which led to the removal of the Peoples Democratic Party and former President Goodluck Jonathan from office in 2015, has not benefited Nigerians.
He said: “When I came in here and climbed up here, I’ve seen a lot of you. And as my brother said, there are a number of you who are expert conspirators, who know how to assemble coalitions and then take out governments, as you did to my party in 2015.
“And when you did so, particularly to a clueless government, so-called, now 11 years down the line, we thought that there would have been no weaponisation of poverty and that all the challenges of Nigeria would have been gone.
“And the only advice I can give, not being a professional coalition builder and conspirator as some of you are, is at this time, shine your eyes.”
Soyinka praises Amaechi’s defiance
Also, Nobel laureate, Wole Soyinka, praised Amaechi for his courage in refusing to step down for President Bola Tinubu during the All Progressives Congress presidential primary contest in 2022.
Speaking at Amaechi’s birthday celebration, Soyinka said he was impressed by Amaechi’s defiance during the primary election. “The main reason why I had to be here today…it’s first of all that I admire Rotimi Amaechi’s fighting spirit,” he said.
“And it’s a very consistent one, but the most memorable for me…because I watched this event live on TV all the way from Abu Dhabi. “I wanted to see the drama of all the primaries going on during the election. I wasn’t really here, but I said I wanted to watch this contest, and I’m glad I did.”
Soyinka likened Amaechi’s decision to stay in the race to Tinubu’s defiance of former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s administration.
“Let me explain this. For somebody we knew as the last man standing when he fought to a standstill, a former president who was manoeuvring himself into a position of changing the constitution and obtaining a third term,” he said.
“He keeps denying it, but he and I know for a fact, and so do others. And towards that goal, he was sort of emasculating the powers of the constituent elements of the federation.
“And by the end, this president was the last man standing and resisted that effort. All the others had sort of cowed down because their statutory allocation had been stopped, contrary to the constitution.
“But one man—he was the last man standing. Well, he obtained a dose of his own medicine from Rotimi Amaechi during the primaries. I enjoyed that very much.
“While everybody was, you know, falling over one another conceding, there was one individual who got on the podium, and he said ‘no, I’m not conceding’.
“I didn’t come all the way here to commit ‘lúlẹ̀’. And that man was Rotimi Amaechi. And I said this is what democracy is all about.” Tinubu defeated Amaechi and 12 other presidential aspirants in the primary election, securing 1,271 votes, while Amaechi came second with 316 votes.
Fani-Kayode blames opposition for drift towards one-party state
Former Aviation Minister, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode, has stated that the opposition, rather than President Bola Tinubu, should be held accountable for Nigeria’s perceived drift towards a one-party state.
Fani-Kayode made this assertion in a Facebook post over the weekend, shortly after the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party convened its 99th National Executive Council (NEC) meeting.
According to the former minister, the ruling All Progressives Congress is “the most united and focused party” in the country’s history. In contrast, he said, “the opposition forces are the weakest, most fragmented, most indisciplined, most cowardly, most incompetent, most confused, most divided, and most badly led in our entire history.”
He continued, “They are truly pitiful and pathetic, and they are getting more demystified and diminished at both the federal and state level by the day. Is it any wonder that we are heading towards a one-party state? Don’t blame President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for that but rather blame the opposition who cannot even hold a NEC or national caucus meeting without insults, rancour and exchanging blows.”
The APC chieftain argued that the opposition had not demonstrated the capability to take power at the federal level in 2027. He also criticised the coalition led by former Vice President and 2023 PDP presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar.
“You can’t even hold your respective parties together, and instead of attempting to do so, you are busy running up and down shamelessly to find a platform in the name of some far-fetched and illusionary alliance.
“You have put your personal ambitions before the collective interest of our nation and your respective parties, and that, coupled with your crass arrogance, vaulting ambition, and insufferable pride, is what has led to your downfall.”
Fani-Kayode concluded by saying he eagerly anticipated the 2027 elections, stating, “so that we can bury you all over again, only this time it will be for good.”
APC chieftain dismisses Atiku-led coalition against Tinubu
A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress in Osun State, Mr Olatunbosun Oyintiloye, yesterday criticised the coalition being spearheaded by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar against President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid in the 2027 general elections, describing it as a doomed endeavour.
Oyintiloye, a former representative of Obokun State Constituency in the Osun State House of Assembly, condemned the alliance of opposition leaders, including Atiku, Peter Obi of the Labour Party, and others, aimed at thwarting Tinubu’s second term. He labelled the coalition a “failed project” and advised its proponents not to waste resources on it.
In a statement issued in Osogbo, the Osun State capital, Oyintiloye reflected on Nigeria’s political history, highlighting numerous failed attempts at coalition-building over the past 27 years. He stated: “History has consistently shown that these coalitions rarely succeed.”
He argued that forming a viable alliance requires more than shared opposition, explaining that it demands unity, strategic compromise, and long-term cohesion. “The motives must be altruistic, not parochial or selfish, and must embrace the management of peace and conflict, which are very paramount and essential,” he said.
Oyintiloye claimed the current coalition is motivated by the personal ambitions of its members, describing it as “a mere gathering of aggrieved opposition leaders.” He added: “Critically looking at the ongoing coalition against the President, those involved are only interested in using the platform to revive their failing political careers.”
He questioned the intent of the coalition leaders, saying: “The question Nigerians should ask these coalition leaders is: why form a coalition against President Bola Tinubu? If they were in power, could they do better than what the President is doing?”
Oyintiloye further accused the coalition members of acting out of greed and desperation. “If the present administration had engaged and patronised some of these personalities with juicy appointments, they would be at the forefront singing and praising the same government they are castigating now,” he remarked.
